Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 179 (Color Image)

0179	Among the Celestials : vol.1

CHAP. vi.] ACROSS THE TIAN-SHAN. 143

a narrow valley. The last mile or two was

over soft green turf, and near the summit there

was a perfect mass of flowers, chiefly forget-

me-pots ; and the sight of all this rich profusion

of flowers and grass, in place of the dreary

gravel slopes of the Gobi Desert, was a treat

to be remembered.

Yet there were still no trees to be seen, and

a curious characteristic of these hills was their

entire want of water. For twelve miles from

Morgai to the summit of the pass we had not

seen a drop. From this absence of water the

valleys were not deep not more than five or

six hundred feet below the summit of the hills

on either side—nor were the hillsides remark-

ably steep, as in the Himalayas. They were

grassy slopes with rocks cropping out at their

summits, and here and there on their sides.

But five miles on the southern side a small

stream appeared, and the valley bottom was

partitioned off into fields, round which irriga-

tion ducts had been led. Trees now at last

began to appear, and we pitched camp on a

little grassy plot near a stream of cold clear

water, and under a small grove. Such a treat

I had not enjoyed for many a long day. I

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